Blackout
by Bleu Mae
Summary: Violet had her own agenda against Aku and she was determined to defeat him herself. But when she comes across Jack, who was injured from a battle, she helped him — bandaged him up, let him rest for a little bit...until Violet found out Jack was on a journey to get Aku, and she just couldn't pass up the opportunity to travel with him.
1. Chapter 1

_"And when you say I'm not okay,_

 _I left my phone in the cab,_

 _Now you can't get me,_

 _I'm only gettin' started,_

 _I won't blackout...,"_

-Blackout; **by Breathe Carolina**

* * *

Violet had found herself working at an inn for the past week and a half, hoping to get enough money to last the next couple days. She'd told the owner, an elderly woman named Janie, that she wouldn't be able to work permanently, something Janie understood. Thankfully, Janie was also generous enough to give Violet a room to stay in for the duration of her work, which was something Violet felt a tad guilty for accepting considering the elderly woman didn't want anything in return.

"You remind me of my daughter," Janie would say. "You've got her smile, maybe that's why."

The compliment — if Violet was willing to call it that, in her opinion — always made the young woman feel anxious. Violet had never met Janie's daughter, so she wasn't sure what to really think of that.

But one night, while it was especially slow, when Violet had nothing to do, she decided to go out for a little bit. Of course, she wasn't going to just leave without telling Janie first. Walking over to where the elderly woman stood near the front of the inn, Violet gently placed a hand on her boss' shoulder.

"Oh, hello, Violet," Janie said, a small smile on her face. "Is there something wrong?"

"Would it be possible for me to go out for a little bit?" she asked. "I won't be out long, I promise."

"Of course, darling." Janie gently patted Violet's forearm. "I don't think there'll be anyone else for the night. Have fun."

With a smile and a thank you, Violet quickly went over to her room, changed into more appropriate clothes and then took out a dagger she hid under her bed and strapped it on her thigh. Taking a deep breath, Violet made sure she looked presentable before taking some money and leaving.

 **~8~**

There was a bar — a very small one, but it was fairly popular in the village — near the edge of the village that Violet frequented on occasion. She knew the bartenders fairly well and they knew her well enough to get her drinks without her asking.

"How're you tonight, Vi?" The bartender, a small green-skinned man with squinty yellow eyes looked at Violet as she sat herself down at the bar.

"I'm good I guess," she sighed. "How about you, Chaz?"

"I'm about as good as I can be," he sighed. "You want the usual?"

"Please."

When a shot of whiskey was placed in front of her, Violet gave a small nod of thanks. She didn't drink the shot right away, she just sat there for a moment to just let herself relax and think. After about two minutes, Violet picked up her shot glass and quickly downed the whiskey inside. She felt the familiar sensation in her throat as the beverage went down, a sigh escaped her lips afterward. By the time she called Chaz over for a refill, the usual background noise stopped, causing Violet to turn around and see what was going on. A man was standing at the entrance of the bar, his face obscured by a hat he wore, a long white robe — that was how Violet saw it, at least — looking like the only source of clothes he had plus a blade strapped at his side. As the man started walking toward the bar, the eyes of everyone in the bar followed him. Violet turned her head away from him and downed her second round of whiskey.

"Can I help you?" Chaz's tone was harsh and gruff, something Violet had heard before when he was helping certain other customers. But it sounded a little different while he spoke to the man. Chaz sounded venomous, his yellow eyes narrowed to slits.

Violet's gaze went to Chaz, whose intense glare remained on the man.

"Hot water, please," was the reply, his voice quiet.

Chaz's eyes seemed to narrow even more. When he went to heat up the water, Violet couldn't help but glance at the man again. He hadn't lifted his head, so his face was still hidden beneath his hat. Violet could see that he was youngish looking and seemed rather soft-spoken. Throwing some money on the counter, she stood up and took a second to stretch before turning to leave. Before Violet could even make her way to the door, a large amphibian looking monster blocked her way. The monster looked like a mutated toad, with two tusks jutting out from its jaw, causing its jaw to stick out. Its beady brownish green eyes looked at Violet almost condescendingly. The creature only wore tattered brown pants and a filthy shirt.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" he — given the monster's voice sounded very masculine — exclaimed, a thick British accent lacing his words. His voice was thick and gravelly, making Violet grimace slightly.

"Out," Violet responded, keeping her voice as neutral as possible. She had faced plenty of monsters and thugs in her life, and the one in front of her was no different.

"Don't you know who that man is?" the monster croaked.

Turning, Violet went over to where the man stood, taking a kettle of steaming water to the furthest table in the bar. Every eye was on him, watching his every move until he sat down. "No and I don't care."

The toad monster's eyes widened a little, his lips twisting into a sneer. "I've seen you around here a few times," he rasped.

"Why don't you get to the point."

The toad monster's face twisted into a scowl. "You've got plenty of money on you, don't you?" he exclaimed. "Why don't you give me the money you have, that way once _he's_ out of the way" — he nodded to where the mystery man was sitting — "I can have a little more than the rest."

"He's got a bounty on him?" Violet asked, hoping to keep her voice even.

"Of course. Aku's out for his head."

Violet's eyes widened. That blasted name rang in her ears, her blood starting to boil in suppressed anger. "Aku, huh?" she muttered.

"So why don't you give me your money now before it gets ugly." A gun was taken out of the back of the monster's pants, aimed at Violet's chest.

Looking at the gun aimed at her, Violet pursed her lips. She knew she wouldn't be able to get her dagger out without getting seriously injured, so she'd just have to figure something else out.

"So are you gonna give me..." He was cut off by Violet quickly gripping his outstretched wrist, trying to hold back a grimace at how slimy his skin felt, and twisting it hard enough for the gun to fall to the ground. There was a quick pained cry at the motion from the monster before Violet quickly took out her dagger and shoved it into the monster's shoulder and cutting upward. Static and oil spewed from the wound, causing the toad monster to cry out in pain, his other hand gripping the open wound. Before he could do anything else, Violet shoved him back, the monster hitting the door violently before the door gave out. Once he hit the ground, he wasn't moving.

At that point, the entire bar started an uproar. The man with the bounty on him had removed his hat — showing that he was pretty young — showing his face twisted into a scowl and his dark hair pulled into a bun. All the other customers had started an attack on him, and he wasted no time taking out his blade and attacking them all at once.

Thankful no one saw her take out the toad monster, Violet used that opportunity to leave. Not before grabbing the gun she'd forced out of the toad's hand.

 **~8~**

Violet was hoping to get as far away from the bar as possible, but she found it wasn't as simple as that. Violet managed to get a couple feet from the bar before all the screaming and shouting that was heard inside stopped. Despite her best efforts not to, Violet turned to see what had caused the sudden silence. Had they all collectively defeated the man? Was Aku on his way over?

 _"If Aku's on his way over, then you'll get your chance to destroy him,"_ a small voice in the back of her head exclaimed. _"That's what you've wanted, right?"_

Looking down for a moment, Violet found herself contemplating whether or not she wanted to make her way back to the inn or wait to see if Aku would really show up. The more she thought about it, the more she started to realize that, if she were looking at it from a more logical standpoint, Aku wouldn't waste his time travelling to some rundown village. One of his machines would come to take the man away and give everyone their reward.

Scowling, Violet was just about to turn and continue her way to the inn before hearing the bar's door slam open. It was the man, the one Aku wanted. His clothes were somewhat tattered and he had some hair in his face. But that wasn't what Violet was paying attention to — it was the growing bloodstain on his shirt that caught her attention.

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **If there's anything in this chapter that needs to be better explained, just leave a review or PM me and I'll try to explain it the best I can. Not only that, but this is the first time I have written a story in this fandom, so if you guys could bare with me, that'd be greatly appreciated.**

 **Do I own anything in this franchise? No. No I don't.**

 **I'd have to say, aside from the revival season, it's been a couple years since I've actually watched _Samurai Jack_ , so I may be a bit rusty when it comes to certain parts. I'm sure YouTube has some episodes uploaded on there, and there may be a few other sites that have the earlier seasons on there, but I'm just letting you guys know where I stand with this. Right now, I'm trying to find some comfortable footing.**

 **I will not guarantee this story'll be some kind of masterpiece, but I'll try and find some kind of enjoyment in knowing that at least I tried something new and had fun doing it. Hopefully you guys find some kind of enjoyment in this story.**

 **As for my OC Violet, I'll go more into her character as the story goes on.**

 **Be kind to one another, don't text and drive, and I'm sending some good vibes your way.**

 **Thanks.**

 **Bleu**


	2. Chapter 2

_"I made my reservation, I'm leaving town tomorrow,_

 _I'll find somebody new and there'll be no more sorrow,_

 _That's what I do each time, but I can't follow through,_

 _I can't breakaway, though you make me cry...,"_

-Breakaway; **by Irma Thomas**

* * *

There was a conflict in Violet as she observed the man. He was bleeding, and it looked like he was bleeding heavily, not to mention the fact that he seemed a little disoriented. Should she just go? What would happen to him if she just left? Chewing her bottom lip anxiously, Violet let out a frustrated sigh before cursing and hurrying over to where he stood.

The man's dark eyes looked Violet over, an almost confused look on his face. He winced, grabbing his side, where the bloodstain was gradually growing.

"Hey," Violet said, hoping to get his attention, "I can help close your wound. I've got some medicine."

Looking back at her, his eyes narrowed just a fraction. "You can help?" he muttered.

Nodding, Violet gently put her hands on his forearms, hoping to keep him steadied. "I've got some medicine," she repeated. "I could stitch the wound, if it's deep enough. Besides, from the looks of what happened in there, I don't think it's good for you to be out in the open right now." Quickly looking around, Violet caught on to a blanket that was on a rundown sales booth. Once the salesman wasn't looking, Violet snatched up a scratchy looking wool blanket and threw it over the man's shoulders and head, hoping to keep him covered from the public eye. It probably wasn't the best option, but it was the only thing she could think of at the time. "Come on, follow me."

He followed without so much as a second thought.

 **~8~**

Thankfully, no one seemed interested in the person Violet was bringing back to the inn and the salesman didn't seem to notice that one of his blankets had been stolen. Once they made it to the inn, Violet tried to hurry to her room before Janie stopped her.

"Oh, hon, who's this?" Janie asked, looking at the man with the usual kindness in her eyes.

The entire time Violet and him were walking to the inn, the man had his shoulders hunched and his head lowered to obscure the view of his face.

"This is my friend," Violet lied. "He's having a bit of a rough patch and I offered a room for him for the night."

"That's fine, honey," Janie exclaimed.

"He's already paid for a room, just to let you know." Violet felt awful for lying to Janie, but she knew that this man was in need of medical attention immediately, and the longer they stood around chatting, the worse his condition would be. "He's really tired, Janie," Violet exclaimed. "I'll take him to his room and I'll see you in a little bit, okay?"

"No worries," Janie chuckled, waving it off. "I'll see you in a little bit."

Gently leading him over to where her room was, Violet quickly looked around before unlocking her door, and the two of them going inside with the door closing and locking behind them. Pulling the wool blanket off, Violet saw that the man looked extremely pale, the bloodstain having gotten bigger.

"Okay, let's sit you down," she mumbled. Moving him to a small wooden chair, Violet went over to a small drawer and pulled out a bag of herbs, a small cup, and went over to get some water from a bucket. "First, you need to take that off so I can see the wound."

Grimacing again, the man gripped his side before looking at Violet almost nervously.

"If you want to bleed out, fine by me," she responded. "But I'm offering to help you, so please just do it."

Removing his blade from his side, he placed it beside him before untying the wrap around his waist that kept his outfit together. He took the arm his injured side was on out of the sleeve and opened his outfit enough for the bloodied wound to be seen.

Placing the medicinal materials down on a small wooden table nearby, Violet knelt down to look at the injury. "That's deep," she sighed. "It's clean, though, which is good. I'll be able to stitch it and clean it."

"Thank you," he muttered.

"No worries," she sighed. "Just wait a minute, okay?" Finding a needle and some thread that Violet kept in a small satchel near her bed, Violet tore a piece of cloth from an old piece of clothing and dipped the cloth into the cup of water and started cleaning the blood from the wound.

"Is there any way I can repay you?" he asked, barely even flinching once Violet started stitching the wound shut.

Shaking her head, Violet kept her eyes on the wound. "Don't worry about it," she said. "Once I get this stitched, I'll work on some medicine for this and bandage you up."

There was a moment of silence before he spoke up again. "I never got your name."

"Violet," she responded. "Violet Montgomery. You?"

"They call me Jack."

"They?"

With a nod, the man, Jack, seemed to relax a little more. "Everyone who I have met calls me that," he answered.

"Well, it's nice meeting you, Jack."

"Likewise."

Once Violet had finished stitching the wound, she got the bag of herbs and took out a few of the contents inside and mixed it in with the water. Jack noticed how the water looked a reddish brown color, how it was so murky he couldn't even see the bottom of the cup. Dipping the cloth into the water, Violet looked up at him for a moment.

"This'll sting for a little bit, but it should stop any infections from happening," she said. Gently dabbing the cloth onto the wound, she felt Jack flinch ever so slightly, which made her pause for a second. As she started cleaning it again, Violet decided to at least start small talk so it could keep him distracted. "You've got an accent, where're you from?" she asked.

Jack's gaze went to Violet for a moment, who met his gaze for a second before focusing back on his wound. "A land far from here," he sighed.

"You miss it," Violet said. "You want to go back."

"How did you know?" Jack exclaimed. Hearing the statement made him defensive, cautious as to how someone like Violet could possibly know something like that.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she said.

"You'd be surprised."

"I'm an empath." The look of slight confusion on Jack's face made Violet smirk a little. "To put it simply, I can sense, and feel, the emotions of everyone."

Jack's brows shot up at that. "You can feel my emotions?" he exclaimed.

Violet nodded. "I have to say, the way you're feeling is almost a bit overwhelming."

"I, uh, I apologize."

"Don't apologize," she said. Putting the cup and cloth down on the nearby table, Violet looked up at him and tried for a smile. "I've met plenty of people like you, emotionally. This isn't my first rodeo."

Jack watched as she poured the medicinal water out and threw the damp cloth into a pile of clothes. Finding some gauze she had lying around, Violet walked over to Jack and pressed the gauze firmly to the wound, making him wince. Once she had it applied, she stood up and let out a sigh.

"You can cover yourself up now," she said. "I'm done."

"Thank you," Jack said.

"Really, you don't need to thank me." Violet brushed some of her hair out of her face. "You can stay here for the night and rest. I live here for free, thanks to the owner."

"I can't do that to you," Jack tried arguing.

"Listen, you don't want to, that's fine, but after what happened in that bar I don't want you wandering out there by yourself. _Especially_ when you got stabbed like that."

"I've had plenty of fights like that before."

"And that doesn't make it okay, Jack." Violet gave him a look. "Stay here for the night. The inn's got a bath with some fresh water. You can take one in the morning if you want and I'll patch up your clothes. How does that sound?"

With a sigh, Jack agreed.

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **Sorry for having this chapter up late, but here it is. I hope you guys find some kind of enjoyment in it.**

 **Do I own anything in this franchise? No. No I don't.**

 **Leave a review or PM me if you've got OCs or a subplot you'd like added to the story.**

 **Be kind to one another, don't text and drive, and I hope whatever's stressing you out right now turns out for the better.**

 **Thanks.**

 **Bleu**


	3. Chapter 3

_"You know, little buddy, there's a yin for every yang. If there's bad, good will rise up against it! It's taken me a long time to find my calling. Now, it's about time you find yours."_ -Metro Man; **from Megamind (2010)**

* * *

That night went on in a very uneventful manner. Violet managed to get some food for herself and Jack, who wanted to accompany her on her trip, which ended in Violet scolding him. He ended up staying in Violet's room, with the door locked as a precaution, and with Jack sitting on the same chair Violet stitched and bandaged his wound. By the time she returned, fifteen minutes later, with some vegetables and cooked meat, she threw together a quick meal and served a plate to Jack.

"This is very delicious," he replied, looking at Violet appreciatively.

"Thanks. It's something my mother used to make when I was little." Shrugging, she took another bite of the meat before talking. "At least, it's something similar. There's usually a lot more than what I served, but..."

Jack nodded with a hint of a smile, taking another bite. "Maybe I could take some for my travels tomorrow."

Violet shrugged again. "Take as much as you need," she said. "I'm not a fan of leftovers."

After they finished eating, Violet gathered the dishes and piled them up near where the bucket of water was. Again, Jack insisted on helping in some way, but was immediately shot down. He was Violet's guest, and under no circumstances was he allowed to help her out in any way.

"I appreciate your wanting to help, but I don't want to just dump a bunch of stuff on a guest," she said.

"You're not dumping anything on someone who's willing."

Throwing a look his way, Violet chuckled. "You're pretty stubborn," she said. "Any other time, I'd have someone helping me, but _you_ are injured. Sit back down before you tear your stitches."

"But..."

"Now." That one simple word was enough to make Jack sit back down. Violet's voice had an authoritative tone to it, one that he couldn't argue with. "You can sleep in my bed tonight. I'll take the couch."

"Violet, I can't do that," he argued.

"That's very polite of you," she responded, "but you're doing it whether you like it or not. The couch is pretty comfy, I don't mind taking it." Jack's swirling emotions were filling Violet's senses, and she was trying her hardest not to become completely overwhelmed by them. The last time she let someone else's emotions take over, it hadn't ended well for her or anyone else. Jack's confusion and uncertainty were the ones that hit Violet the hardest. Taking a deep breath, Violet pushed his feelings to the furthest part of her mind before looking back at him. His eyes were glittering with worry, his lips pursed and downward in a deep frown, his brows knitted together. "You're a good guy, Jack," she said, "and I appreciate your concerns, but I'm not changing my mind, okay? Take my bed. I'll show you to the bath in the morning while I patch your clothes."

 **~8~**

That night had been a relatively sleepless night. Violet tried positioning herself as comfortably as possible on the couch, but she knew it'd be impossible. The couch was stiff and felt almost like a brick at times. She had taken the blanket she stole earlier as a means to keep warm, but it was so scratchy and dense that it added to her discomfort.

Sitting up, Violet stretched her back, grimacing when she felt it pop. Taking a moment to just sit there for a moment, Violet stared blankly ahead. Her little room in the inn wasn't really decorated, maybe with a few personal items scattered here and there, but that was about it. Violet knew she wasn't going to be staying at the inn for very much longer, she was hoping to stay long enough for her next pay.

 _"Once you're out of here, you'll be able to finish tracking down Aku,"_ a little voice in the back of her head whispered.

It was something to consider, and Violet knew that while having odd jobs now and again threw her behind in her journey to kill Aku, but she also knew that she'd need some money in order to survive.

 _"Isn't Jack connected to Aku in some way?"_ the little voice whispered. Violet's brows furrowed at the thought. _"That's right! He's got a bounty on his head; Aku wants him for whatever reason. Maybe you can get some information from Jack."_

Setting her jaw, Violet took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She knew that it wasn't the best choice to ask a stranger about why they were being hunted by Aku, but Violet had to know what Jack knew.

 _"Just think about how easier it'd be to know what Jack does,"_ the little voice went on. _"I can guarantee he's got plenty of information if Aku's on his trail."_

"Violet?" Jack's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, causing her to jump a little where she sat. Turning, she saw Jack standing there, his eyes looking heavy and his expression almost startled. "I didn't mean to startle you," he said.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Violet shook her head. "I thought you were sleeping," she said.

"I couldn't sleep."

"I'm with you on that." Looking at him again, Violet motioned him over. "I may as well check your bandages."

When he knelt in front of her, Jack moved his clothes just enough for Violet to see where the gauze was. There was a relatively thin strip of blood that had been absorbed by the bandage, and that was pretty good considering how deep the cut had been. Taking off the gauze as gently as possible, Violet observed the stitched wound. The skin around it was red and slightly inflamed, something she expected. The stitching looked perfectly intact, which was a huge relief.

"I'll give you some fresh bandages," she responded. "I'll make some more medicine for it later. Is that okay?"

"That's fine." There was a heavy moment of silence between them, and it was a rather comfortable silence. Jack's gaze was on Violet, watching as she reapplied fresh bandages onto the wound. In all honesty, Jack found it to be rather nice to have someone _else_ attend to his wounds for once. He wasn't worried about whether he'd mess up on applying medicine or a bandage somewhere, he wasn't concerned if he'd get some kind of infection because of something going wrong. There had been some hesitation on his part when Violet first offered to help him, but he could see that she didn't have any kind of ulterior motives. It was...refreshing.

"All done." Leaning back, Violet observed her work, hoping she got everything right, before glancing up at Jack. Their gazes met for an instant before both of them looked away. Jack covered himself up and murmured a thank you.

Before either of them could say or do anything else, Violet felt an overflow of negative emotions right as the front door of the inn slammed open.

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **I know this chapter should've been posted sooner, but I got sidetracked. Hopefully you guys found this chapter just a little interesting.**

 **Do I own anything in this franchise? No. No I don't.**

 **It wasn't that long ago, but I received a question on whether or not I'd incorporate the fifth season into this story, and if anyone else is thinking the same thing, my answer is I don't entirely know yet. While it would be nice to have a story written about the fifth season, I'm not entirely sure how I could write that with my OC or any other OCs I add into the story _(I don't think I mentioned it or established it or whatever, but this story is based more around the earlier seasons of the Samurai Jack)_. Should I write a kind of sequel to this story based in the revival series, I'd have to figure out little ways to keep whatever OCs I have alive and possibly young, without it being too cliché, since it's supposed to be taking place 50 years further into the future. What do you guys think? I understand it's only 3 chapters into this story, but should I do a sequel based around the fifth season? Or should I have the fifth season written into this story?**

 **If you've got any other questions regarding the story's overall plot, if there's any confusion on Violet, or if there's anything else that needs some touching up on, don't hesitate to leave a review or PM me. You could even leave a review or PM me on ideas for subplots or OCs you'd like to see written into the story! I'm okay with that.**

 **Okay guys! Be kind to one another, don't text and drive, and have a safe spring break!**

 **Thanks.**

 **Bleu**


	4. Chapter 4

_"All of us, here since the change. We take, we don't bother. Things grow harder."_ -Jadis; **The Walking Dead**

* * *

Violet and Jack shared a look before taking some sort of action. Violet gathered whatever necessities she needed before Jack reappeared with his sword in hand. There were screams and loud footsteps outside Violet's room, making a knot of anxiety and fear form in her stomach.

"This way," she whispered, grabbing Jack's forearm. She had opened the curtains to a window big enough for each of them to exit separately.

Jack looked at Violet in almost disbelief, his brows furrowed together as he looked at her locked door. "You're not going to help them?" he asked.

"It could be anything."

Jack's face hardened at that. "I cannot leave," he stated. "Not with what's going on out there."

Pursing her lips, Violet looked at the window before looking back at Jack, who was already walking to the locked door. Letting out a silent curse, Violet stormed after Jack right as he made it to the door.

"You're not doing that by yourself, okay?" she muttered.

Jack glanced at her for a moment before nodding in appreciation, though there was still a hint of something behind his gaze. It was disappointment, that was what Violet could feel. That made her even more irritated.

"Do you have any weapons on you?" he asked, his hand on the doorknob.

"Just open the door," she exclaimed. "Let's get this over with."

After unlocking the door, Jack threw it open. Violet's eyes widened. There were various robots and monsters demolishing the inn, customers looked terrified. When the monsters and robots saw the duo standing in the doorway, sadistically pleasant expressions came across the faces of the intruders.

"It's him!" A monster pointed a finger at Jack. "Get him!"

Jack quickly drew his sword, holding it firmly in front of him. Violet noticed his stance changing, angling himself so he stood in front of her in an almost protective manner.

"What're you doing?" she hissed.

"I won't allow you to get injured," he exclaimed.

When the first couple monsters jumped at Jack, he effortlessly killed them, but when a larger group of robots and monsters jump at them, Violet moved herself enough to where she could look the enemies in their eyes. Right when their gazes met, that was when Violet allowed herself to tap into their emotions — specifically, their fear — before using what she'd gather to project illusions based around those emotions. Fear was typically the easiest to use, since no one would want to relive something that scared them at some point in their lives. The _moment_ their illusions started — something that was invisible to anyone else but them — Violet took Jack's hand and tried pulling him around the monsters and robots.

They managed to get out the front door with the remaining enemies on their trail, shooting blasters and throwing out weapons to slow Jack and Violet down. If there was one thing Violet could acknowledge, it was their dedication.

Once she and Jack were far enough from the inn, Jack quickly turned to face the enemies.

"Aku's got a nice bounty on your head, samurai!" one of them yelled.

"What about the girl?" another exclaimed.

"She looks a bit familiar."

"Nah, she's not important; the samurai is."

Jack didn't respond to any of the comments that were being made, he just continued standing in place, holding his sword firmly in both hands. Violet could see the determined look on his face; he was willing to take all of them on by himself if he had to.

"Get behind me," she whispered, looking up at him.

"No. I can handle this." There was such determination in Jack's voice it nearly threw Violet off for a moment. "You stay behind me."

"You'll be lucky you don't tear your stitches open," Violet muttered, walking in front of him. "Stay there." Tapping into each of the enemies' emotions, Violet manipulated their fears, creating the same illusion for them as she did for the ones in the bar. A heaviness fell over everyone; Jack's eyes widened, looking at the bounty hunters before looking down at Violet. He noticed something that surprised him — her eyes. Violet's eyes were blue-green in color, but whatever she was doing to the hunters made them bright green in color. The longer he looked into her eyes, the more unsettled he started to become. A knot of dread and fear formed in the pit of his stomach. "Don't look at my eyes," she muttered.

When Violet was certain the hunters were deep enough in their illusions to do anything, she turned and looked back at Jack, her eyes returning to normal. Jack's gaze went to the bounty hunters, who were frozen in their own mind, before going back to Violet.

"The illusions can only last for so long," she stated, nearly snapping. "If we're getting out of here, we'd better do it _now_."

Hesitantly putting his sword away, Jack glanced at the bounty hunters one last time before following behind her.

 **~8~**

"How did you do that?"

Violet looked over at Jack for a moment before looking at the ground. They'd gone a couple miles without saying a word, and Violet knew that Jack had questions. She was grateful with the silence they had for the most part, and Violet wouldn't have had a problem with it staying that way. But she doubted just how observant Jack was.

"What I did with those bounty hunters?" she asked. When he nodded, Violet sighed. "I told you, I'm an empath."

"But you said you could only feel and sense the feelings of others," Jack exclaimed, sounding confused.

Grimacing slightly, Violet ran a hand through her black hair. "Well... _sometimes_ I can manipulate the emotions of others," she explained. "It's hard to explain, but that only happens every so often." Violet looked up at Jack, her jaw set and her lips pursed. "Those bounty hunters said Aku's got a price on your head."

Jack's face hardened. "I have unfinished business with him," he said darkly.

"I'm going with you."

"What? No!" Jack's answer was immediate, leaving little to no room for arguing. "Aku is very dangerous. I can't allow you to accompany me."

"I'm not arguing with you on this," Violet said.

"Good."

"Because I'm going with you whether you like it or not." Jack frowned, throwing a look Violet's way. "You've got your own reason for going after Aku, I have mine. I'm going with you. Say yes."

With a heavy sigh, Jack gave a strained, "Yes."

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **This chapter is long overdue, but here it is! If there's anything that needs improvement, don't hesitate to let me know, okay? That's the important thing. Not to mention I need to know if anything came off as confusing.**

 **Do I own anything in this franchise? No. No I don't.**

 ***As a reminder for you guys, my spring break is on its last couple days. I'll be starting my spring quarter at community college later this week so I'll be trying to manage my time between work and school. I'll probably update chapters when I don't have work** **— in other words, whenever I have school but no work _(or it's the weekend and I have the day off work and not a lot of homework)_ I'll update a chapter. Just don't expect any updates to be happening as frequently as they have been up until now.***

 **Other than that, just let me know if there's anything I should improve on, let me know if you've got OCs or subplots you'd like added to the story, and be sure to leave some constructive criticism.**

 **Be kind to one another, don't text and drive, and be sure to treat yourselves every once in a while.**

 **Thanks.**

 **Bleu**


	5. Chapter 5

_"It was the roar of the crowd that gave me heartache to sing,_

 _It was a lie when they smiled and said 'you won't feel a thing',_

 _And as we ran from the cops we laughed so hard it would sting,_

 _If I'm so wrong (so wrong, so wrong)?_

 _How can you listen all night long (night long, night long)?"_

-Disenchanted; **by My Chemical Romance**

* * *

Violet and Jack continued walking for a couple more miles before they found themselves in a different town. Neither of them chose to speak to each other after Violet made it clear she'd be sticking around. And from the looks of it, Jack wasn't too pleased on the company. It didn't matter to Violet if he liked it or not; she had her own vendetta against Aku and she wasn't about to be tossed aside for any reason.

 _"If you're really serious about defeating Aku, why did you wait until you met someone like Jack to do this?"_ a small voice in the back of her head whispered. _"You've been pushing this back for so long. Are you sure you're ready?"_

Pursing her lips, Violet tried ignoring the voice. She knew that it was true to some extent; she'd been working so many odd jobs aside from battling some monsters here and there, that suddenly throwing herself into a journey to Aku may have been a bit compulsive. But at the same time, she had been pushing the journey off for too long. Violet knew she could only wait for so long.

As she and Jack made their way through the town, Violet made sure to keep an eye out on the inhabitants — some were monsters, some were human, a few maybe robots. The town itself looked more like a slum than anything.

 _"You've got Aku to thank for that,"_ the small voice whispered. _"You've got Aku to thank for all of this."_

Wrapping her arms around herself, Violet hunched her shoulders and scowled. She was already exhausted from her and Jack's little battle with those bounty hunters, now she was being harassed by some little voice in the back of her head. Glancing over at Jack, she could see he was visibly exhausted, but keeping himself more composed than she was. She had to wonder how his stitches were doing, since she hadn't had the time to check since before the bounty hunters appeared. If Jack were in pain, he was certainly doing a good job not showing it.

"How're you holding up?" she muttered.

Jack looked down at Violet for a moment before looking away. "I am doing well, thank you," he replied.

"Your stitches?"

"Fine."

"If they're hurting, you can tell me."

"I'm fine, thank you," Jack replied. There was a moment of silence as they walked through the town. None of the townspeople were really paying him or Violet any mind, which was a blessing but may be a bit concerning. "Why do you want to find Aku so badly?" The question was innocent enough, but Violet knew that where they were currently — in such a public area — the idea of talking about Aku was unsettling. Any of his goons could be listening in.

"Maybe we should go somewhere a little more private," Violet suggested. "I don't really feel comfortable talking like that with people around."

Looking at her for a moment, Jack nodded.

 **~8~**

Eventually, Jack and Violet found their way across town to a more abandoned area. Occasionally they'd come across some kind of mutated animal or mini monster, but other than that, they didn't really see many people or sentient creatures. While it would've been nice for them to rest, they were wanting to get through town as quickly as possible, since it didn't seem like the safest place to be.

"You're very determined to find Aku," Jack brought up, his face looking solemn. "Why is that?"

"He destroyed my home," Violet replied, making sure to keep her answer vague. "My family didn't make it. A lot of people I knew didn't make it. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one who made it out alive. If I can defeat Aku, then I'll be able to avenge what he did to my family."

Violet saw Jack's face harden. His already dark eyes seemed to darken even more.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said gravely.

"Don't be." Straightening her shoulders, Violet set her jaw. "Once I defeat Aku, everything'll be okay. My family will be at peace and I'll finally be able to move on in life."

There was a _long_ silence between the two. It was tense, slightly uncomfortable, but Violet came to ignore it. She kind of expected something like that to come out of the conversation they were having. It was a sensitive subject.

"You said you have unfinished business with Aku," Violet said, breaking the silence. "What's he done to you?" Jack's emotions were very overwhelming, that much was clear to Violet. Aku seemed to amplify his emotional response, and it was a wide variety of responses. Violet discovered that even just mentioning Aku made Jack angry, sad, anxious, uncertain — it was a mess of things that she found herself having a hard time trying to block out. Any other time, his feelings weren't as intense, but he was more easily read in Violet's eyes than anyone else she'd come across. Jack could keep himself physically composed from what she could gather, but emotionally, there were some things he just couldn't seem to handle very well.

"It was a very long time ago..."

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **Probably not the best way to end a chapter _(though I doubt I'd call this a good chapter anyway!)_ , but I hope you guys found some kind of enjoyment/entertainment out of this. If there's anything that needs improvement, don't hesitate to tell me. This story will be following the original storyline of the show, so anything before season 5.**

 **Also! _QUESTION TIME_! Do you guys think I should write a kind of sequel or spinoff or whatever for season 5? I know it's too early to tell for this story, but do you think I could write a separate story that maybe serves as a sequel or something that revolves around the revival series? It'd be interesting, but I'd have to figure out a way to incorporate Violet, should anyone want her character to stay young. Does that make sense at all?  
**

 **Do I own anything in this franchise? Unfortunately, no I don't.**

 **Be kind to one another, don't text and drive, and may you have enough money to buy that thing you've always wanted.**

 **Thanks.**

 **Bleu**


	6. Chapter 6

_"I like people who put in effort, even if they're not good at it."_ -Mitsukuni Haninozuka; **from Ouran High School Host Club**

* * *

Violet listened intently as Jack told the story of where he came from — he was born in a land from the distant past, where he was the son of an Emperor who had battled Aku even before Jack's birth. The sword Jack had used to belong to his father before being handed down to him, the sword having been forged from the gods to specifically defeat Aku when the time was right, when all of the training Jack had done over the years had been completed. It was then explained that, after finishing his training, Jack foolishly attempted to face Aku, even though he wasn't quite ready yet. Then he was sent to the future, where he had to figure out how to survive in a new time and land he knew nothing about.

By the time he had finished, Violet was silent. She wasn't sure how to react, or how to think, or what to do. The person she was traveling with was a prince from the distant past? Furrowing her eyebrows, Violet pursed her lips. She was traveling with a _prince_ from some sort of feudal era Japan? Was that the right term? Looking up at him, it sort of made sense — the way he dressed, how he acted, the way he presented himself. Was that normal in his time?

 _" Obviously it's normal in his time,"_ a small voice in the back of her mind hissed. _"Don't you think you're being a bit disrespectful? Jack told you something important, and you're too busy worrying about whether or not the way he acted would be considered ' normal' where he's from?"_

Scowling, Violet shook the thought out of her head. She didn't want to distract herself thinking like that. Jack had expressed himself in a way that kind of made him vulnerable. How many people had he told that to? In a way, it made Violet feel special. He trusted her to an extent to where he wanted to share his background with her.

"I didn't think all of that would've happened to you," she responded after a moment, trying to carefully think about what she wanted to say. "I had no idea Aku went back that far."

"That is why I must get back to the past," Jack exclaimed, setting his jaw in determination. "If I can stop him in the past, this future will change. None of Aku's wrath will ever happen."

Frowning, Violet lowered her head a little, some of her dark hair falling in front of her face. "It's very brave, wanting to back to stop Aku before this ever happens," she said, "but what if none of the people you ever met is born as a result?" There was a brief look of confusion on Jack's face. "All of the people you've met so far, the ones you've helped, what if they're never born because you changed the future?"

"You think I _shouldn't_ stop Aku?" The criticism in Jack's voice caused a sting of guilt to work its way through Violet's chest.

"That's not what I mean." She shot a look his way. "I want to stop him just as badly as you do, and your idea may very well work, but by changing the past, you'll also be drastically changing the future." Crossing her arms over her chest, Violet hunched her shoulders a little, frowning deeply. "I don't know," she sighed. "I was just thinking out loud, I guess."

"You think the people here now won't be born because I'd kill Aku in the past." The statement was simple, better worded than what Violet tried saying. When she nodded, Jack nodded. He understood what she meant; he'd be changing the entire future. No one could really say what would happen.

"Why don't we change the subject?" she suggested, trying for a smile. "All this talk of time travel and altering futures is giving me a bit of a headache, yeah?"

With a hint of a smile, Jack nodded.

 **~8~**

The remainder of their walk went on in silence. Jack and Violet managed to find another town in their journey and Violet got them to the nearest motel in sight. It was nice, better than the inn Janie had Violet working in. A pang of guilt washed over Violet — what had happened to Janie? Had the bounty hunters done something to her? It was a shame, what happened at the inn. But it was too late to turn back.

"Are you sure you want separate rooms?" the receptionist asked. "It'd be a lot cheaper if you got one."

While Violet understood the receptionist was trying to be helpful, she couldn't help but think it was a bit annoying. It _would_ be cheaper if she and Jack shared a room, but they weren't well acquainted and Violet wasn't entirely comfortable yet with sharing a room with a complete stranger, even _if_ he shared his backstory with her. Sure, back at Janie's inn they shared a room, only because Violet was thinking quickly and decided to have Jack stay in her room until he got better. But in their current situation, she had wanted to have a bit of privacy.

"I'm sure," she responded.

The receptionist's eyes flickered between the two, looking almost in disbelief. "Trouble in paradise?" she muttered, a slight smirk on her face. A light blush came across Violet's face, her eyes quickly flickered to Jack, who looked almost as embarrassed as her.

"Listen, can I have the keys — yes, _keys_ — to our rooms please?" she snapped. "We're on a tight schedule."

Shrugging, the receptionist handed two keys to Violet, a hint of a smirk still on her face. Snatching the keys, Violet threw some money down and left without another word. Jack followed silently behind her.

When they made it to their doors, which, conveniently, were right across from each other, Violet turned to look at her traveling companion. "Why don't I check your bandages and then you can get washed up," she suggested.

Jack nodded in agreement, waiting patiently as she unlocked her door.

When they stepped in, Violet turned and looked back at Jack, who was looking around the room curiously. For the most part, it looked like an average bedroom — minus the brightly colored lights and the fact that the room smelled bad and the air was cold and stale.

"I have to know — are you okay with me traveling with you?" she asked.

"No, I'm not," was Jack's immediate response. "Risking the life of another person is something I can't condone, but knowing that Aku had done such damage to your life, and knowing you'd probably argue with me if I refused to allow you, I feel it is necessary to have you with me."

Violet nodded in response. She could sense he was telling the truth, which she was grateful for. "Good," she said. "And you're right, I probably would argue with you. Now, let's change those bandages."

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **This was one of those let's-just-put-a-filler-chapter-in-for-the-hell-of-it moments. It's almost three in the morning where I am, so I decided why the hell not? and updated a new chapter. It may not be the best, or make the most sense honestly, but it's still something, right? Let me know which areas in this chapter need improvement and I'll do it as quickly as possible.**

 **Do I own anything in this franchise? No. No I haven't.**

 **Also, for any of you who're fans of the anime/manga Host Club, I started writing a story called 'The Night We Met'. I'm only, like, three chapters in, but I feel like it's something to read while waiting for an update for this story. I would suggest my SPN story 'Til It Happens to You', but that's on a temporary hiatus. You could read what I have for that story, but I don't know whether any of you guys would be impressed with it. But hey** **— why not give it a go and tell me what you think?**

 **Before I wrap up this author's note, and since the idea just popped into my head, has anyone else seen the new 'Thor' trailer and the new 'Transformers the Last Knight' trailer? Ragnarok looks interesting, and I liked that Marvel played Led Zeppelin in the trailer. For some reason, the Ragnarok trailer gives me the feel that the movie will be similar to Guardians of the Galaxy in some ways. Maybe having a Guardians feel could make the movie more interesting. I don't know. As for the 'Transformers' thing, it's kind of a guilty pleasure that I watch those movies. I didn't entirely mean to get into that fandom, I just started watching the movies and then I couldn't stop and then I actually started to kinda enjoy them so...yeah.**

 **I guess I'm saying that if anyone hasn't watched either of those trailers, I'm just suggesting you could watch them. Whatevs.**

 **Be kind to one another, don't text and drive, and get lots of sleep.**

 **Thanks.**

 **Bleu**


	7. Chapter 7

_"While you're alive, you need a reason for your existence. Being unable to find one is the same as being dead."_ -Naruto Uzumaki; **from Naruto/Naruto Shippuden**

* * *

After Violet had finished changing Jack's bandages, she gave him a small smile before heading toward her room. Considering the two of them hadn't had much sleep the night before, they knew just how exhausted the other was feeling. So, once the two of them were settled in their rooms and in their beds, they instantly fell asleep.

 **~8~**

The next morning, Violet woke up early, grumbling under her breath. In most situations, Violet had no problem waking up early; she'd done it plenty of times before without so much as a problem, but after everything that happened with the inn and traveling with Jack, she just couldn't understand why she chose to wake up early at that moment.

 _"Might as well make sure everything's still in order before checking in on Jack,"_ she thought miserably. _"I won't be able to go back to sleep anyway."_ One of the truly annoying parts of Violet — once she was awake, no matter how much sleep she received or how early she woke up, she just couldn't go back to sleep afterwards. Slowly sitting up, Violet scowled, brushing some of her dark hair out of her face. Her vision was still clouded a little in sleep, and she lounged in bed for a moment longer to blink the exhaustion out of her eyes. Throwing the sheets off and shuffling out of bed, Violet started looking through the few belongings she brought with her from the inn, making sure she still had them.

It didn't matter that the town they were staying in was seemingly better than most, that it didn't seem to have much of a problem with theft or gangs, Violet wanted to make sure nothing happened to her personal belongings. It wasn't uncommon for thieves to sneak their way in to someone's home when they were least expecting it.

Right as she finished looking through her belongings, a soft knock on Violet's door caused her to jump.

"It's me," Jack's voice called out. "I was just checking to see if you were okay."

Sighing, Violet made her way over to the door and opened it. Her traveling companion was dressed, looking as if he were ready to continue his journey.

"I thought you'd be sleeping," she commented, a hint of a scowl on her face.

Jack gave a small, sheepish smile. "I am used to waking up early," he responded. "I assumed you would be sleeping, but I was hoping to make sure you were okay."

Shrugging, Violet tugged some of her dark hair back, avoiding Jack's gaze. He seemed like a nice guy, and it was sweet that _he'd_ gone out of his way to check on _her_ , considering Jack was the one who was injured. "I was actually going to make sure _you_ were doing good," she sighed. "I wanted to make sure your stitches were holding up."

"My stitching is holding up fine," Jack responded, straightening his shoulders ever so slightly.

Giving a dry chuckle, Violet motioned him into her room. "Considering _I'm_ the one who's going to make sure you don't get infected, I'll determine if they're good or not." When she noticed the look that came across Jack's face, Violet's face scrunched in confusion. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Are you in pain?"

"Do you really think it's appropriate for me to go into your room?" he asked.

"You let me go into yours last night." A hint of a blush came across the samurai's face. "Look, I don't have a problem with you coming into my room," she sighed, "just stop making it awkward so I can see how you're doing."

With a firm nod, Jack made his way into Violet's room. Motioning him to take off the upper part of his outfit, the empath removed Jack's bandages to see his stitches. The skin around the injury was reddened and slightly inflamed, not as bad as the first time she saw it, but it was still there. The stitches were holding together rather nicely, and Violet couldn't help but feel a bit of pride in how well her work was doing. Taking a quick look at the now discarded bandages, Violet saw how there was a thin line of blood and slight discoloration — discharge.

"You're doing okay for the most part," she sighed. "There's a bit of discharge, but it's nothing to concern yourself over. As long as your wound's bandaged and clean, there shouldn't be anything else to worry about."

Getting her bag, Violet found a fresh bandage and had it securely placed on the wound.

After finishing, Jack pulled his outfit back together while Violet moved to organize her bag. Neither of them said much, but after a moment, the samurai decided to break the silence. "Thank you for taking care of me," he murmured. "I don't know how I can repay you."

"You don't have to," Violet interrupted. "Anyone else would've done it."

"I doubt it." The solemn tone in Jack's voice mirrored the saddened feelings he was currently experiencing. Violet couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy _and_ pity for the guy — he'd been through so much, yet he didn't expect much from anyone else.

"Yeah, well, you don't have to worry with me," she said. "I'll take care of you however I can."

It didn't take long for her to notice the small smile appear on the samurai's face.

* * *

 **(A/N):**

 **Whether you guys enjoy this chapter or not is completely up to you. I know I don't write the longest chapters, but hopefully it's enough to keep some of you interested until I finish up with this.**

 **Unfortunately, I own nothing in this franchise.**

 **If you've got ideas for subplots or OCs, don't hesitate to let me know. I'm all for whatever suggestions/ideas you guys can muster up. If you've got any kind of constructive criticism, be sure to let me know.**

 **Also, I don't know if I've mentioned this at some point, but I will be writing a sequel to this story based around the revival series. I don't know how I'll incorporate Violet's character, should I keep her young, but I'll figure it out as I go along.**

 **Be kind to one another, don't text and drive, and don't drive drunk.**

 **Thanks.**

 **Bleu**


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